


A Series of Moments Led Us to This

by wontonto



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, For Knb Secret Santa Exchange 2020, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:48:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28315530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wontonto/pseuds/wontonto
Summary: Imayoshi's not getting the grade he wants in his chemistry class and enlists the help of a tutor that his friend recommended in hopes that it'll get him on the good side of the professor. What he didn't expect was to find someone who could challenge him intellectually and actually make him laugh.
Relationships: Hanamiya Makoto/Imayoshi Shouichi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	A Series of Moments Led Us to This

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Coshledak](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coshledak/gifts).



> For the KnB Secret Santa exchange! Happy Holidays! I hope you enjoy this, I had fun writing it!

Imayoshi groaned, grinding the heels of his hands into his eyes under his glasses. He hadn’t expected college to be much more difficult than high school, considering how well he’d done. Unfortunately, he was very wrong, and had been struggling. Especially with his stupid chemistry class that he’d been taking for science credits. 

His roommate Susa was taking it with him and although he’d been struggling as well, he’d gotten help from a tutor and had strongly recommended him to Imayoshi. 

“How about you just go see this tutor and then you can teach me everything he teaches you, hm?” Imayoshi had suggested, a smirk on his face. 

Susa rolled his eyes. “Nice try, but I'm not going to be able to explain it well enough to you. I mean, it’s up to you whether you want to pass or fail the class, but considering how close we are to graduation...” 

At this point it was a matter of pride, and Imayoshi was a very prideful person, but... honestly he couldn’t afford to fail this chemistry class. He’d already done something he never thought he’d have to do: email his professor and ask them how to raise his grade. 

The email he’d gotten back had said that he could get some tutoring for extra credit, and that would help his grade. After swallowing his pride as much as he could, he sent an email to the tutoring center to set up an appointment. 

And now that appointment was only an hour away, Imayoshi was still kicking himself for doing this. He’d never felt this inferior before, and he just felt... _stupid_ and he hated it. He’d never had this happen and going to a tutor was just a new low for him. 

_Especially one that was younger than him._ Susa had told him that the guy was a genius, and that made Imayoshi see red because _he’d_ always been considered the genius in high school. 

He walked up to the tutoring center and took a deep breath. He could do this. He was smart; he could get through this stupid tutoring session and get a good grade in this chemistry class. 

He pushed open the door and looked around aimlessly for a moment. 

“Hi, welcome to the tutoring center,” a peppy young woman greeted him, a wide smile on her face. “Do you have an appointment.” 

“Uh, yeah... I...” he awkwardly cleared his throat. “I’ve never been here before, so I’m not sure...” 

“Oh, no problem. You just swipe your student ID there and that’ll let us know that you’re here, and your tutor will call you over in a minute or two,” she said, the smile never leaving her face. 

“I see, thank you,” he nodded, getting out his student ID out of his wallet. 

He tried not to feel like an absolute moron when he had to flip over his ID to make the magnetic strip line up with the machine, and he desperately hoped that he wouldn’t feel this dumb when he was around the tutor. 

“You’re Imayoshi?” a voice said moments after he swiped his card. 

“That’s me, yes,” he turned around, seeing a young man with black hair and a look in his eyes that betrayed his friendly tone. He immediately put Imayoshi on edge. “I’m supposing you’re my tutor.” 

“Hanamiya Makoto, nice to meet you,” he grinned, holding out his hand. 

Imayoshi raised an eyebrow but shook the other man’s hand, since it was the friendly thing to do. “So you’re supposedly a genius, is what my roommate told me.” 

Hanamiya shrugged, walking back to a table. “I’ve been told that before, yeah. But I don’t really think I'm anything too special. I just know how to teach, I guess.” 

Imayoshi hummed, still very on his guard. Something about this guy set him on edge, and he didn’t know what it was. It was like he had some kind of mask on, and maybe it was just because he was a tutor and it was his job, but Imayoshi felt like Hanamiya would call him a moron if he wasn’t being paid. 

Throughout the session, though, Hanamiya explained things in a way that Imayoshi hadn’t considered before. The professor didn’t really explain things well, and that’s mostly why Imayoshi didn’t have a grade good enough. But Hanamiya somehow was able to help Imayoshi understand formulas and concepts he didn’t have the slightest inkling about before. 

“You know, you’re not a bad tutor,” Imayoshi said to Hanamiya as he cleaned up his study materials. 

“I told you, I know how to explain things,” Hanimiya smirked. “Even to people who don’t understand anything.” 

Imayoshi waited for a scathing remark, an added barb to the fact that he was being tutored by this guy. 

But it didn’t come. 

“If you wanna schedule another appointment, feel free. My business hours are on the website,” Hanamiya waved after Imayoshi. 

Imayoshi raised an eyebrow and wondered what Hanamiya’s deal was. Perhaps he should schedule another appointment just to get to know him better. 

… 

Hanamiya Makoto considered himself a smart enough person, and that’s why he’d decided to become a tutor. It was pretty easy money, but he couldn’t believe how _stupid_ people could be sometimes. Holding his tongue and not voicing how stupid they were and why they couldn’t understand something was the hardest part of his job. 

But he played the part very well, and many people who struggled with chemistry especially asked for him. He hated that he was pretty much the only chemistry tutor who was able to explain things well enough for people to understand. 

When he got a certain Imayoshi Shouichi on his list of students, he was intrigued. He’d heard of the man, a year his senior and on the honor roll every semester. Why he needed tutoring when he was practically a genius was beyond Hanamiya. Unless he was going to make Hanamiya feel inferior. 

That _must_ be why he was here! He was going to make a fool out of Hanamiya, and that was one thing Hanamiya wouldn’t stand for. If he sensed any animosity at all, he was going make him _break._ He wanted to make Imayoshi feel so inferior that he wouldn’t ask for him again. That’s what Hanamiya would consider a successful tutoring session. 

But right after they shook hands, something changed. Imayoshi wasn’t here to gloat; he simply wanted to understand better, it seemed. He even scheduled a second appointment for a few days later, probably to make sure he knew the material for the final exam. 

During their second appointment, he paid rapt attention to Hanamiya’s explanations and Hanamiya noticed the most _terrible_ doodles in his notebook. He tried not to laugh at them but Imayoshi noticed him looking. 

“I know, I’m a terrible artist, but that’s not why we’re here,” he rolled his eyes. 

Hanamiya snorted. “No, but literally those are the worst doodles I've ever seen; you’re a terrible artist.” 

“So I've been told, but I doubt you could do better.” 

Hanamiya smirked. “Oh? Is that a challenge?” 

“Might as well be,” Imayoshi smirked back. 

“You’re on, then.” 

They spent the next couple minutes in silence, each doodling something in their notebooks but shielding it from the other’s view with their arms. 

Hanamiya smirked to himself as he looked at his drawing. Sure, he wasn’t an artist, but he was definitely better than his student. 

“Are you done yet?” he asked Imayoshi, putting his chin in his hand. 

“What, are you?” Imayoshi challenged, his pencil scratching against his notebook paper frantically. 

“Yeah, now you’ve got five seconds. Five... four... three... two...” 

“I’m done! Jeez!” Imayoshi looked at Hanamiya over the rim of his glasses, his eyes narrowed. 

“Good,” Hanamiya nodded. “Now, we find out who the better artist is.” 

They counted down from three and both pulled their arms away from their masterpieces. 

Imayoshi snorted at Hanamiya’s drawing, trying not to laugh too loud and disturb the other tutors and students. Hanamiya also couldn’t believe how terrible both of their drawings were. 

“I don’t think either of us won this,” Imayoshi smirked. “We are both equally terrible artists.” 

“Speak for yourself, I think I did a fantastic job,” Hanamiya proudly displayed his drawing. 

His supervisor passed by right at that moment and he was suspended for a couple days because of “inappropriate conduct.” 

… 

Finals were over and Imayoshi was a little nervous. He’d originally gone to Hanamiya with the full intent of just getting the extra credit to raise his grade, but he’d found himself enjoying himself around the younger man. Much more than he ever would’ve expected. 

He walked to the tutoring center without an appointment, his grades pulled up on his phone. He wanted to show Hanamiya how much he’d improved with his help. He hoped that Hanamiya didn’t think he was bragging or something, because that wasn’t his intention. He just wanted to share how well he’d done. 

Hanamiya was sitting at the front desk, playing on his phone, luckily for Imayoshi. 

“Hey,” he greeted. 

“Oh, what’re you here for?” Hanamiya smirked. “We didn’t have an appointment, did we?” 

“I could be here for another class, you know,” Imayoshi shot back. 

“Uh-huh, like you need help with anything, Mr. Honor Roll three years in a row.” 

Imayoshi had never considered himself a shy person, but for some reason showing Hanamiya his grades seemed deeply personal. And he wasn’t sure how to deal with that at the moment. 

“Um...” he cleared his throat. “I just wanted to thank you.” 

He flipped his phone around to show Hanamiya his grades without checking to make sure it was on the right screen. 

“Oh. You didn’t have to go _that_ far.” 

“What?!” Imayoshi yanked his phone back, terrified that he’d accidentally shown Hanamiya a dick pic or something. 

Hanamiya laughed as Imayoshi frantically looked at his phone, only to find that it was on his grades. 

“Mr. Honor Roll fell for something that simple.” 

Imayoshi sighed. “You are such a dick.” 

The younger man shrugged. “I try. But really, good job. Let me take you out to celebrate.” 

“You take all your students out when they get good grades?” Imayoshi raised an eyebrow. 

“Only the ones who really, really try. So, only you,” Hanamiya smirked. 

“Oh?” 

“Yeah. I get off in an hour. Meet me at the café on campus.” 

Imayoshi was stunned. He hadn’t expected his relationship with his tutor to become so comfortable. And he definitely hadn’t been expecting to get asked out on a date. 

But he definitely wasn’t complaining.


End file.
